


Across the Waves

by SociallyAwkwardFox (Maze_Runner_Fae)



Series: JayTim Week: Summer Edition 2017 [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Fisherman Jason, Loneliness, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Requited Love, Rescue, Siren Tim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 14:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11625234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze_Runner_Fae/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: There's nothing Tim loves more than watching the fisherman spend his days working on the ocean, but there's no way they could ever meet. That would just end in disaster. No human could ever love him. They fear his kind.





	Across the Waves

It was fascinating to watch. Every day he came down to the beach ladened with nets and poles and supplies Tim didn’t know the name of. He would put them all in the old boat that didn’t look like it should even be able to stay afloat, then shove it into the sea. For the rest of the day, he would work. Throwing nets out and pulling them back in hours later-sometimes full of fish so his arms strained with effort and sometimes displeasingly devoid of fish. It was a routine Time knew far too well.

Much to the others displeasure, Tim came out every single day to watch the lonely fisherman slave the day away in his little boat. They told him it wasn’t fitting for one of their kind to be so obsessed with a human, but he didn’t pay any mind to the things they said. In all honesty, Tim had never fit in with the others and despised the way they would lure sailors to their death for fun. He much preferred watching the fisherman work on the sea. Even though they never spoke, it felt like a connection between them-something they shared.

Admittedly, Tim came to watch him for more than just the simplicity and connection. The man was incredibly handsome with his blue-green eyes and tanned skin. His hair was a curious sight that always sent Tim’s mind into a twist of possibilities. A white streak stood out from the rest of his pitch-black hair-something that had captured Tim’s attention the first time he laid eyes on him.

Of course, the man would never know of the affection Tim held for him and the peaceful existence he lived during the day.  Tim watched him from a safe distance in a direction he rarely looked because the rocky area wasn’t a fisherman’s friend. When his eyes did wander, Tim would hide below the water among the rocks until he went back to focusing on his work. There wasn’t any rule against human’s seeing them. In fact, the others would be ecstatic if Tim captured the fisherman’s attention, but Tim didn’t want that. So, he stayed out of sight and admired him from afar.

As he watched the fisherman work, he braided seaweed and shells into long strands to give his hands something to do. He considered leaving them on the shore for the fisherman to find or slipping them on the boat while he was busy, but he never did. For all her knew, the fisherman had a family or a lover he went home to at night that gave him better things than Tim had to offer. Whoever they were, probably had the looks of a god or goddess and told him how much they loved him whenever they could. They weren’t a creature feared by men that he would find utterly repulsive upon seeing. There was no need for the man to even have a hint of Tim’s existence. It was better to leave no trace.

* * *

 

A storm hits unexpectedly in the middle of the day. It’s uncommon for storms to appear so suddenly in the area, but the fisherman always managed to get out of the water before anything bad could happen. This time was different though. His nets get tangled and won’t get out of the water, so he could row to the safety of the shore. His boat creaks and rocks dangerously as the waves slam unforgivingly against the side. The fisherman works desperately to cut away the net, but they both know he won’t manage it in time.

In the spur of the moment, Tim launches himself off the rocks he’d been lounging on and speeds over to the rickety boat. As he reaches it, a loud crack fills the air and the boat gives way under the pressure of the crashing waves. The fisherman gets swept under the vicious waves immediately, so Tim dives after him. His hand grips the first part of him he can reach, then propels them both to the water’s surface. The fisherman remains dead weight against Tim’s side as he swims them both to shore.

Once he gets the fisherman on the beach, Tim looks for someone that could help him, but the rain is too heavy to see much of anything. With no other option, Tim gets out of the water and uses all his strength to drag him to a nearby cave. The man remains unmoving the entire way and doesn’t respond when Tim shakes his massive shoulder. While he doesn’t know much about humans, he’d seen a few sailors fall in and come out of the water looking just as still as the fisherman. Like he saw humans do in the past, Tim presses his hands against the man’s chest a few times and jumps when the man suddenly wakes.

He coughs up water, then splutters out nonsense Tim can’t understand. His eyes look glassy and unfocused as they dart quickly around the small cave. When they land on Tim, the haze clears some and his eyes go wider than Tim thought possible for a human. Jerkily, he scrambles up and scoots against the wall across from Tim. It isn’t difficult for Tim to figure out why the man acts that way after seeing him. Like Tim expected, the man fears him.

The moment he stands to leave, the man flinches away from him and looks wildly around-probably hoping to find a weapon. Slowly, Tim edges along the wall toward the entrance with his head tipped down and his shoulders hunched in to appear less threatening. Before he set one foot out the cave entrance, a startled noise comes from behind him and he turns to see the fisherman looking confused.

“Why are you leaving?”

Tim blinks in surprise at the curiosity lacing the man’s question. “You fear me.”

“I thought... You helped me. Didn’t you? The storm hit, but I didn’t make it here. You brought me here. You saved my life.”

“Yes.”

“Not much of a talker?”

“I don’t have anyone to talk to.”

“Me either.” The fisherman pauses awkwardly for a few seconds before continuing to speak. “I’m Jason. What’s your name?”

“Tim.”

“Are you…”

“No.”

“Can I ask what you are?”

“Siren.”

“But you didn’t let me drown.”

Tim shakes his head no as he drops to the ground with his legs tucked under him. “I don’t like that. I like to watch you work. It’s peaceful.”

“You watch me work?”

“Every day.”

“Doesn’t that get a little boring. My life isn’t exactly exciting. I spend most of my day sitting around waiting for the night to come, so I can go home.”

“To your family?”

“No. I don’t have a family. We had a falling out. Now, I live by myself in a little house on the hill. Twice a week I go into town to sell what I’ve caught, but that’s really it. No family or friends.”

“Are you lonely?”

“Sometimes.” The fisherman-Jason-moves a little closer to Tim, then goes back to leaning against the side of the cave. “Are you lonely?”

“Sometimes.”

“We’d probably be less lonely together.”

“You fear me.”

“No. You just startled me, that’s all. I’m not scared of you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Can we speak again?”

“Sure. You know where to find me.”

* * *

 

“I’ve got you a present.”

Tim blinks curiously up at Jason through long, wet eyelashes as he uses the side of the boat to pull himself higher out of the water. “What is it?”

“Come up here and look.”

“People might see.”

“Unless you care, I don’t see the problem with that.”

Uncertainly, Tim pulls himself out of the water and onto the boat barely large enough to fit the two of them plus Jason’s equipment. The two of them simply stare at each other for a minute, then Jason breaks eye contact to pull something out of a bag at his feet. He keeps whatever it is hidden in his large hands, so Tim can’t see whatever Jason brought for him. His hand moves up to Tim’s face, then he tucks whatever it is behind Tim’s ear. When he pulls away, Tim reaches up his hand to feel soft petals brush against his fingertips.

“I picked it up from one of the stalls in the market yesterday. The woman said it stands for beauty and grace.”

“And you gave it to me?”

Jason leans forward to brush the hair sticking to Tim’s forehead away. “You’re the most beautiful and graceful creature I have ever met. Your tongue’s sharper than any blade and you’ve made my boring days something to look forward to. I no longer wish for the night because it means time without you.”

“That is romantic.”

“I was worried it wouldn’t be.” The gentle rocking of the boat has nothing to do with the odd fluttering and shifting in his belly. “I don’t want to go home alone any longer. It’s lonelier than ever.”

“I abhor the night.”

“Come home with me.”

“I would love nothing more.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)).


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